Hundreds converge on Stoney Creek as trucker convoy passes through Hamilton area

Long before the masses on Centennial Parkway North could see the truck convoy, they could hear it.

Then, one after another, the trucks started rolling through Stoney Creek amid a chorus of blaring horns and cheering supporters.

That was around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. By 11 a.m., the noise had yet to die down.

Early in the day, police warned of traffic disruptions in the city and on major highways as the convoy of truckers protesting vaccine mandates made its way through the Hamilton area.

By noon, a tweet from Hamilton police's traffic Twitter account said the convoy was leaving the area, and traffic was back to normal.

The Freedom Rally" detoured off the QEW and crawled along Centennial Parkway before heading back to the highway. It's on its way to Ottawa.

HSR warned that several bus routes will be on detour between 9 and 11 a.m. This includes routes 2 Barton, 4 Bayfront and 44 Rymal.

GO Transit also warned about possible GO bus delays.

Local drivers planned to meet at Marshall's Truck Stop on Kenora Avenue to join the convoy. The group, which travelled through Saskatchewan and Manitoba earlier this week, has been met by flag-waving supporters on overpasses.

In Hamilton, the scene was no different. A crowd of hundreds enthusiastically applauded the passing trucks, waved Canadian flags and held signs that read End All Mandates" and Freedom Not For Sale."

A large crowd amassed in the packed-to-the-brim Home Depot parking lot, before walking out to Centennial. They parked their cars on curbs and snowbanks and created gridlock in the lot as workers watched the scene unfold from the store roof.

In a press release, The Canadian Trucking Alliance said the majority of Canadian truck drivers are vaccinated. CTA does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges."

More to come.

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